Wushan Top Mud Volcano Natural Reserve Introduction
There are a total of 27 mud volcanoes in the world, and the Deep Water Farm and Ranch in Shenshui Village, Yan Chao District is the most developed area of mud volcano landforms in Taiwan, covering an area of 3.88 hectares. To protect this unique landscape, the Council of Agriculture designated this area as the "Wusanding Mud Volcano Natural Reserve" in 1992. The formation of mud volcanoes is caused by the movement and rupture of the Qishan Fault beneath the crust, allowing moisture to seep underground and mix with mudstone to form slurry. High-pressure gas then erupts the slurry to the surface along fissures, building up mud volcanoes. This area has three conical mud volcanoes, with the tallest reaching 3.5 meters and a slope of about 50 degrees, making it a typical mud cone. It erupts every few seconds, with thick slurry flowing down the cone, forming tongue-shaped mudflows that can reach a diameter of 70 meters. There are often eruptions of slurry and gas, which can sometimes be ignited or spontaneously ignite. For educational and academic purposes, visitors must fill out an application form to enter the natural reserve and observe valuable badlands landforms, mud volcanoes, and natural ecology.
